Let Me Go
by kaeh96
Summary: The BAU is headed home after a tiring case, but they have no clue what is to come...AU: Current BAU team plus Seaver and Prentiss.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! This is something I've had in my head for a little while, and I really hope you like it!**

Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, Alex Blake, Ashley Seaver, and Jennifer Jareau all settled into their seats on the big BAU private jet. They were heading home from a case in Tacoma, a serial stabbing by a sexual sadist, and they were all pretty tired. Hotch looked at each of them,

"Alright, it's a long flight home, everyone try and get some rest, we should land in about five hours."

JJ sighed as she settled in next to Prentiss on the couch lining the wall of the plane, she just wanted to get home, she wanted to lay in her own bed with Will and spend some much-needed quality time with Henry. Prentiss knew she was going home to a mountain of paperwork, due to the fact that she was finally buying her own house, and due to her busy work schedule, she hardly had time to fill out the paperwork for her real estate agent. She and Hotch had made plans to go out the next night, but since they'd been away for so long, she knew he would want to be with Jack.

Reid was looking out the window when he felt Seaver slip her hand into his. He smiled at her as she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Sighing, she looked up at him with her big blue eyes,

"I can not wait to get home…I never thought I would say this, but I actually miss northern Virginia."

Everyone chuckled lightly. Northern Virginia was not known for being the most exciting area to be in. Most of the names of the small cities and towns were unknown, and not too many events occurred outside Washington DC. However, considering the high body count and amount of time spent on this case, they were all happy to get back. Hotch and Blake rolled their eyes at each other as they watched Reid and Seaver cuddle. Their relationship was far from a secret, and they were cute together. Hotch and Prentiss kept their own relationship pretty quiet, but that didn't mean they didn't feel anything less for one another. Hotch looked over at Emily, watching her breathing slow as she relaxed, how she ran her fingers through her silky black hair, and smiled a little to himself. Rossi and Morgan were being fairly quiet, and Hotch knew they were all tired. Seaver was falling asleep on Reid, and JJ and Prentiss had drawn closer together and were getting into comfortable sleeping positions. Blake had rested her head against the window, and pretty soon Hotch heard Morgan's soft snore. Hotch leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and everything faded into peaceful darkness.

Xx

Nearly an hour later, Rossi was awoken by the feeling of the jet being jolted up ever so slightly. He turned around to see everyone else, and relaxed when he noticed they were all asleep. He had always been a pretty anxious flyer, and knew he was letting his anxiety get the best of him. He was just about to drift off when there was yet another jolt. This time, everyone else grunted and groaned as they were disturbed. Morgan pulled his headphones off his head and looked at Rossi,

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure…" Rossi said as he watched everyone else look around with questioning looks on their faces.

JJ stretched her arms, scratched her head, then glanced in the direction of the cockpit,

"I wonder what's up, should I go ask?" She said to no one in particular.

"No, not yet. If there's something wrong the pilot will tell us." Reid replied.

JJ simply nodded her head and sat back. However as she did so, the jet jolted yet again, this time nearly knocking Prentiss off the couch. JJ grabbed her arm and helped her stay seated. Things rattled and fell, and the seatbelt sign came on. Hotch yelled for everyone to remain calm as the cabin became dark and alarms sounded. They heard a _crack,_ and the sound of something breaking. Hotch took one last look at the terrified expressions on his team's faces, then the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys. This chapter is...well, you'll see. please don't hate me! Sadness is needed sometimes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and/or its affiliates. I do not own the Beatles and/or their affiliates. I do not own the soldier's prayer.**

Prentiss opened her eyes, the sunlight blaring down on her. As she came to, she heard a loud, high-pitched scream. She sat up but stopped when she saw her left leg. Her pant leg was torn, and there was a large piece of metal lodged in her calf muscle. She wanted to scream, or cry, but couldn't. So, she laughed. She laughed until her stomach and face hurt and tears were coming to her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see Hotch,

"Emily! Dear God, what the hell…" He said as his eyes widened at the sight of her leg. He panicked and started to look for some sort of solution.

"Hotch I'm fine! Just leave me here I swear it's ok!" She smiled at him, barely being able to speak through her chuckles. "I'm just in a bit of sh-shock!"

Suddenly, Rossi yelled,

"Agent Seaver would you PLEASE stop screaming?" He asked as he walked around the nose of the plane to where she was, Hotch and Prentiss watching him as he moved.

However, everyone froze when they saw why she was screaming. There was none other than Reid, laying motionless, with a thick, round piece of metal sticking out between his upper rib cage, right below his breastbone. Seaver, who was soaked in blood, looked up at Rossi, stopped screaming, looked back at Reid, and began to sob violently. Reid's pale, cold body and lack of reaction answered their silent questions. Rossi bowed his head, while Hotch felt a hole in his heart form. Prentiss, however, only laughed harder,

"Oh man you've got to be kidding me! Seriously? Dr. Reid is dead oh man that's a good one! You know, it's always us. First, the whole thing with Reid and Tobias Hankel, then Foyet and Hotch, then it was me and Doyle, then JJ and Hastings, and now, this! Just our luck!"

Hotch stared at her, trying to avoid looking at Seaver who was being peeled off Reid's body by Rossi, her bone-chilling shrieks ringing loudly through the trees. _'JJ.'_ He remembered. He turned around, walked past the main cabin of the plane and set out to look for Blake, JJ, and Morgan.

Xx

Blake had never been so terrified in her life, and as she paced back and forth, questioning everything she'd ever done in her lifetime to herself, she knew there was no way they were getting out of this situation. Morgan was crouched next to JJ, telling her that the most important thing for her to do was keep still, and that Hotch, Reid, Seaver, or Rossi would find them soon enough. JJ was crying out in pain, panicking, and ranting about how scared she was. Understandable, considering more than half her body was crushed under a large piece of the right wing of the jet. Soon enough, they all heard blood-curdling screams that must have come from Seaver, and Blake quickly realized that they were all closer together than they realized. Blake stepped a few feet away from the wreck, and called out,

"Hotch! Rossi! Reid! Seaver! Anybody there? Hello! Hotch? Help! JJ is trapped we need help!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. She waited…no response. "Hotch! Hotch!" She stopped when she saw a slight figure through the trees and heard a soft voice,

"Blake!" She heard Hotch call back.

Hotch stumbled up to her,

"Blake, is everyone alright?"

"Morgan and I are fine, but JJ, she…" Hotch rushed past her, practically running to JJ and Morgan.

Blake followed closely behind him, her heart hammering against her chest. Hotch saw a streak of blonde hair on the ground, however as he got a better view JJ, his heart dropped. He watched her struggle against the wing of the plane, and every time her arms gave out, his hopes of her survival decreased. He slowly walked up to her, hardly regarding Morgan, and his heart broke when her bright blue eyes looked at him with the strongest sense of helplessness he'd ever seen. Her voice trembled as she spoke,

"H-Hotch, I-I'm stuck."

"Shh, save your strength, I'm going to get Rossi and we're going to try and get you out, okay?" He said to her, trying to mask his fear.

She nodded, then laid her head on the ground and breathed deeply. Morgan looked at Hotch,

"Just Rossi? What about Seaver, Prentiss, and Reid?" He asked tentatively.

"Reid is dead. Seaver and Prentiss are hurt badly." Hotch replied, his voice lacking emotion.

Blake gasped and felt sick to her stomach, while Morgan slammed his fist against the wing, stood up, and cursed. JJ began to cry, her soft whimpers breaking the silence. They heard yet another scream, but this time it was deeper. _'Prentiss.'_ Morgan thought. He ran as fast as he could to the site where she, Seaver, and Rossi were. Seaver looked pale as a ghost, blood flowing out of a huge gash in the right side of her head. She was sitting on the ground next to Reid's body with her knees tucked against her chest, and she was shaking. Rossi was next to Prentiss, who was screaming out in pain.

Morgan couldn't believe what was right in front of him.

Prentiss was sitting there, Rossi holding her shoulders in hopes to stop her from moving too much, with a long piece of thick metal about seven inches long going _straight through her left calf muscle._ Morgan looked away, then headed into the main cabin of the plane in hopes to find some sort of medical care. He passed the cockpit and peered in to see how extensive the damage was, and his heart sunk when he saw that the radio transmitter was destroyed. The horrifying angle of the pilot's neck told him he died on impact. He stepped into the jet, and began searching through the mess for a first aid kit, their luggage, anything. Eventually, he found a small first-aid kit. He knew he needed gauze, wrap, and something to clean her wound. He looked through the drink stock until he found small bottles of vodka. He took them, the first aid kit, and a towel, and went back out to where Rossi was trying to keep Prentiss calm. She seemed surprise to see him,

"Morgan! Well hey you're alive, how are JJ and Blake?" She asked, clearly still in shock yet with a hint of a grave tone in her voice.

Morgan brought her up to speed as he had Rossi hold the top of her leg down while he began to work. He ripped her pant leg even further, so that her entire lower leg was exposed. Next, he laid the towel underneath her leg. Then, he took a small gauze pad, poured some vodka on it, and began cleaning the edges of the wound up. He wiped away dried blood, pieces of flesh, and she cried out as it stung while killing bacteria that had started to take over. It was red and puffy in some places, but there was no serious sign of infection just yet, and that was good enough for Morgan. Finally, he packed it with gauze and wrapped it up, being careful as to not press the metal into her leg any further. She breathed a sigh of thanks, and he turned so he was facing Seaver. He grabbed his materials, and slowly walked over to her,

"Ashley, uh, can I take a look at your head?" He asked quietly, turning away from Reid's body.

She didn't respond, so he simply crouched down next to her and started working. He cleaned the wound, then put pressure on it to control the bleeding. Her freezing skin told him she was close to losing too much blood, and the second he was done he needed to give her some fluids and warm her up. He finished fairly quickly, and when she didn't take his hand when he offered to help her up, he picked her up, and carefully carried her away.

Xx

Hotch and Blake wiped at the cuts on JJ's face with some paper towels that had scattered all around as they waited for Morgan to return with Rossi, Seaver, and Prentiss. They were all exhausted, and Hotch was describing the extend of Seaver and Prentiss's wounds when, as if on cue, the other four came stumbling up to them. Prentiss was hopping on her good leg while using Rossi as her base of support, and Morgan was carrying Seaver, who was clearly in a state of shock. Prentiss had tears steadily flowing from her eyes, an obvious result of not only her overwhelming physical pain but emotional as well. Rossi helped Prentiss sit comfortably, and Morgan set Seaver down next to her. Prentiss put her arm around Seaver and watched as Blake, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi prepared to help JJ. Morgan cleared his throat, and spoke up,

"Alright, here's how this is gonna work. Hotch, you stand on the far left, over there, Rossi, be on his right, right…here. Blake, stand just to the right of JJ, and when we've lifted this enough, you're going to help her out, clear? I'll stand over here, on the far right. Whatever you do, Blake and Rossi, do not lift it so that it rocks backwards because you will then crush her legs even further. Everyone understand?"

They all nodded and took their positions, and Prentiss held her breath as she watched. Hotch looked at all of them,

"Alright everybody ready? On three. One, two, three!"

They all pushed the wing up with all their might, but hardly got it two inches off the ground. JJ's timing had been pretty good, but there just hadn't been enough room for her to do anything. They all breathed heavily, then took position yet again. This time, Rossi counted off,

"One, two, three!"

Again, nothing. Morgan turned to Blake,

"Alright, Blake, instead, I want you to grab JJ, and just constantly pull on her starting on 'three'. JJ, I need you to try and wiggle yourself out of there as quickly as you can, okay?"

Both the girls nodded, and Blake bent over, took JJ's hands, and gave a look that she was ready.

"One, two, three!" Morgan bellowed.

They all grunted and Prentiss watched in amazement as the heavy wing lifted nearly ten inches off the ground. Blake pulled on JJ and JJ tried her best to push herself out. She was nearly halfway out, when the worst happened.

Morgan and Hotch's arms gave out. Without warning, the wing came crashing down on JJ, and a sickening cry escaped her body as it crushed her. She was now crushed from the lower abdomen and below, and she began to cough up blood. She gasped for air, and tears filled her eyes as her body fought the excruciating pain. Blake knew something had ruptured, and JJ was now bleeding internally. Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan all stopped and looked at JJ with horrified expressions on their faces.

"Guys p-please, stop! It's f-f-fine, just stop!" JJ sputtered, blood starting to come out of her nose as she spoke.

Prentiss, Blake, and Seaver began to cry as the fate of their friend became obvious. Hotch looked at Rossi, shook his head, and crouched down next to JJ. He took her left hand and looked her in the eyes,

"Jennifer Jareau, listen to me. You are a fighter, and you are the strongest woman I know. You have been through so much, and I need you to know that I'm proud of you. Just…just hold on, okay?" He said to her, his voice cracking at the end. JJ simply nodded at him as everyone sat around her. Prentiss moved closer, placed JJ's head in her lap, and started to stroke her hair. She fought back tears, and began to sing softly,

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night,

Take these broken wings and learn to fly,

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night,

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see,

All your life,

You were only waiting for this moment to be free."

JJ looked up at her,

"Em…just…let me go…" her voice was barely audible, and everyone knew it was time to say their goodbyes.

Rossi spoke next, and he said one of his favorite soldier's prayers,

"To fallen soldiers let us sing,

Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing,

Our broken brothers let us bring,

To the mansions of the Lord.

No more bleeding, no more fight,

No prayers pleading through the night,

Just divine embrace, eternal light,

In the mansions of the Lord.

Where no mothers cry and no children weep,

We will stand and guard though the angels sleep,

Through the ages safely deep,

The mansions of the Lord."

"Amen" JJ whispered, trying her best to smile at him.

They sat in silence, all touching JJ in some way, as they asked for her pain to be over shortly. JJ spoke as loudly as she could,

"Will you all t-tell Will and H-Henry th-that I love them?"

Hotch simply nodded as he watched his friend's body slowly start to shut down.

JJ closed her eyes, let out one last cough, and sighed,

"I love you guys. Th-thank you…"

Her breathing ceased, and finally, Jennifer Jareau was at peace.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been awhile, I've been having some pretty bad headaches, and a lot has been happening. But I thought I'd work through the pain and keep you guys from waiting for another chapter! Hope you like it!**

For the first time ever, Hotch allowed himself to shamelessly break down in front of his whole team. His hands shook as they reached over to JJ's, and he lightly pulled the wedding ring off her left hand, his tears falling on her bloodstained face as he did so. He stroked her hair as Blake, Rossi, and Morgan stood, tears flowing down their faces. Emily began to shake, and Seaver cried out. Hotch looked at JJ's closed eyes, and remembered the day they met, just over ten years ago…

Xx

_August, 2004_

_Aaron Hotchner sat slumped over his desk as he reviewed the case reports agents Morgan and Reid had given him that morning, giving them a once-over before handing them into the section chief. He was interrupted when he heard a light knock at the door, and a flash of blonde hair caught his eye. He looked up into the bright blue eyes of Jennifer Jareau, his latest addition to the team,_

_"You must be agent Jareau" He greeted her, standing and gesturing for her to come in as he did._

_"Yes, sir, SSA Jennifer Jareau, the new communications liaison" She walked in and kept a light smile on her face, reaching out with her hand and shaking his as she reached him._

_" SSA Aaron Hotchner, or Hotch. I'm hoping someone showed you to your office?" He asked as he kept eye contact with her._

_"Yes sir, special agent Garcia was kind enough to show me the way, thank you."_

_"Very good. Have you had time to meet agents Morgan, Gideon, and Reid?"_

_"No, not yet sir."_

_"That's fine, we can go now."_

_Hotch put his hand lightly on JJ's back and led her out to the bullpen, glancing around for the other agents. He saw Morgan and Reid chatting with one another at their desks, and JJ followed Hotch as he went down the few steps off the catwalk and went to their area of the bullpen. He cleared his throat as JJ stood next to him,_

_"Morgan, Reid, this is supervisory special agent Jennifer Jareau, she will be the communications liaison. Agent Jareau, these are agents Derek Morgan and Dr. Spencer Reid."_

_JJ leaned over and smiled at them, _

_"Hi, you can call me JJ." She said with a smile as she shook their hands and looked at Hotch as a way of letting him know that he may also call her by her chosen nickname. _

_Hotch left them to talk and become familiar as he set off to find agent Jason Gideon. As expected, he was in his office, reading over some sort of notes._

_"Gideon, the new agent is here." Hotch said as he leaned in and focused intently on his friend._

_Gideon looked up, studied Hotch for a moment, and stood, walked over to Hotch, yet stopped in the doorway. He immediately found JJ,_

_"Agents Morgan and Reid certainly seem to be taking a liking to her. How old is she?" He asked as he watched her._

_"She's 24, she just graduated from the Academy in June after two years at the University of Pittsburg, then two at Georgetown. She's a smart kid." Hotch replied, turning his focus to Gideon for a reaction._

_"That's exactly my concern, Hotch. She's a kid. I understand Reid is a year younger but he's been out here for two years, he has experience, agent Jareau doesn't. She's going to be torn apart out there, you've seen what the media does with cases like ours." _

_"Gideon, I could have picked an older agent, but I went with agent Jareau for many reasons. Yes, she's young, but that means she'll pick up faster, she'll become a better agent in less time, and she'll be as successful as Morgan in half the time. I like her determination, she has a good record, she's charismatic, she's respectful and quiet, and she passed all her tests at the Academy with higher marks than the majority of her class. I have a good feeling about her." Hotch's tone was sincere, and he was confident._

_Gideon, somewhat shocked at how Hotch defended agent Jareau as well as his decision, looked at him,_

_"I trust you, and I agree. She seems like a good choice, I'm just worried."_

_"There's no need to be, you'll see." Hotch gave Gideon one last frank look._

_Xx_

Hotch relished in the memory as his tears continued to fall and his hand continued to work through JJ's silky yet bloody hair. He thought about all the times they'd shared together, how when everything seemed to fall through, he could count on JJ to be there. He'd witnessed so many stages of her life, her first case, her first time as a full-fledged profiler, her first true love, her marriage, and her first child. He very vividly remembered the day he found out she'd fallen in love…

_Late July, 2007_

_Hotch walked down the dark corridor as he headed on his way into the main bullpen of the BAU, however he stopped when something caught his eye as he passed agent Jareau's office. He walked to her door, stopping to listen in for a moment. When he heard her soft cries, he knocked lightly. She cleared her throat and called out lightly,_

_"Come in."_

_As he walked in, she wiped her eyes and set her cell phone on her desk. _

_"JJ, are you alright?"_

_JJ knew she wouldn't be able to cover how she was feeling, so she simply sighed, and sat down behind her desk, encouraging Hotch to do the same with the old, small armchair in the back dusty corner of the office. She cleared her throat once more, and began,_

_"Hotch, do you remember that case we worked in New Orleans a few months ago, the female Jack the Ripper copycat?"_

_When he nodded, she continued,_

_"The detective we worked with…William Lamontagne, we really hit it off…and I started seeing him about three weeks later."_

_Hotch's eyes widened,_

_"Is there a problem?" He asked with a soft tone._

_She nodded,_

_"I went to see him this weekend, and we got in this huge fight. He wanted me to…well…spend the night, but I wasn't ready to, I just wanted to stay by myself at my hotel. He completely understanding and okay with it, but when I asked him why he wanted me so badly, he completely went off on me as if I was supposed to read his mind. Anyways, he just called me back and told me it was best if I didn't see him for awhile. I don't know, Hotch, I just…don't want to screw this up." She began to tear up again as she looked up at him._

_"You really care about him, don't you?" _

_"I…I love him, Hotch. I know it seems crazy, but I really do."_

_Hotch could see the sincerity in her eyes, and knew her feelings were true._

_"I understand, and I'm happy for you. Just give him some space, try calling him back in a couple days. If he truly loves you as much as you love him, you will work through this."_

_JJ nodded,_

_"Thank you, it means a lot."_

_Hotch stood and gave JJ's shoulder a squeeze. As he was on his way out, he heard her call to him,_

_"Oh, and Hotch?"_

_He turned back to her,_

_"Yes JJ?"_

_"Can you keep this between us, please? I don't want the team getting involved in my business…" She asked with a pleading look in her eyes._

_"Of course, JJ."_

_JJ gave Hotch one last light smile as he left her office, gently shutting the door as he did._

_Xx_

Hotch began to tremble even harder as more memories flooded his mind, and the only emotion he could feel was the overwhelming grief for his dead friend. He knew his life would never be the same, it had been hard enough to lose Haley, and then Reid, and now with JJ, he no longer knew how he could go on. He knew he needed to be there for the remainder of his team, but right now, everything was about JJ. He brought JJ's hand to his face, letting what little warmth that remained in it be absorbed into his own skin, and he thanked his brave friend for her life, which had been filled with service not only to her country, but to the ones she loved.

**A/N: If you're confused about the dates/timing of this, the crash occurs in early winter (late November/early December) of 2014**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey all! Long time no update! Sorry for that, but as most of you know I've been working on some other stories as well! I never thought this story would get all the feedback it's gotten...thank you! You guys are amazing! I'm so happy that so many people are enjoying it! (and that you all don't hate me after chapter two...oops) Anyways, enjoy! Thank you all again!**

Eight hours later, what remained of the BAU team sat huddled around a fire they had managed to build with wood that was laying around and Morgan's lighter that he had dug out of his suitcase, which was one of the three-along with JJ's and Rossi's- that they had managed to find. Naturally, Seaver and Emily were now each wearing a piece of JJ's clothing-Seaver, a navy blue sweatshirt with a hood and Emily, JJ's blue FBI windbreaker. The team had taken everything they found to keep themselves warm; the blankets from the jet, sweatshirts and jackets from the suitcases and go-bags, anything. Morgan was sitting facing JJ's body, which was about ten feet away from where they had set up the fire, and as Seaver, who was sitting curled into him, started to drift off to sleep into his shoulder, he kept watching JJ, as though he still had to watch over her. Eventually, he was the only one awake, and was just starting to drift off when he heard something walking on some branches in the general direction of where JJ's body was. He opened his eyes to quite the sight-three large, grey and white wolves were standing in a circle around JJ's body. He closed his eyes as they sniffed her, and his worst horrors came true when a sickening crunch sounded. Soon enough, he heard the sound of tearing flesh and the large animals chewing. Tears started to roll down his cheeks, and when the scent of blood drifted to them, Emily and Hotch- who were curled up next to each other opposite Morgan and Seaver- woke up. They both heard the wolves behind them, and very, very slowly turned around. When Emily's settled onto what was before her, she nearly screamed,

"They're eating her! We have to stop them!"

Hotch quickly brought his fingers to her lips, wanting her to be quiet,

"We can't do that, trust me. If we do, we'll be their next victims!" He told her in a hushed tone.

So, Emily covered her right ear and leaned into Hotch to cover her left, closed her eyes, and tried her best to drown out the horror that was happening to her friend's body.

Xx

Blake was awoken by the harsh light of the sun and the sound of something cutting through the air.

_'Helicopter'_ her mind told her.

Without warning, she shot up, and immediately her eyes went to the sky. Sure enough, a black chopper was just about to fly over them.

"GUYS! Wake up! Helicopter! Wake up!" She screamed at the team, and one by one, they awoke, stood, and began waving their arms. As the chopper began to circle around them, Morgan instinctively reached for his gun and shot it into the air.

_'That should do it. Come on…come on!'_

He sent another shot up, and soon enough the chopper drifted closer to them.

"Help us! We're FBI agents and our plane crashed! Help us!" Hotch yelled up.

Suddenly, the chopper moved slightly away from them, but the pilot motioned for them to follow. Seaver and Rossi helped Prentiss as they all moved as fast as they could, following the helicopter as it went to a clearing in the woods. Finally, it landed, and the team made their way up to it.

"Hello, I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, and my team we…we were on our way back to Quantico, Virginia from a case and our plane crashed. Two of our agents are dead and two more are hurt pretty bad." Hotch said breathlessly, gesturing to Prentiss and Seaver as he did.

"Whoa whoa hold up, you guys are federal agents? Okay, I'll notify the nearest hospital that I'm coming, I can fit three of you in here, the rest are going to have to wait for the medical e-vac, which should take about fifteen minutes." The pilot responded, making his way back into the chopper.

Hotch looked at his team,

"Alright, since Seaver and Emily need the most medical attention, I'll wait with them for the e-vac, Rossi, Blake, and Morgan go with this young man. The e-vac will also take…well, whatever else we can find." He was stern, and as the rest of them knew what he meant, they started to separate, saying temporary goodbyes. With that, Blake, Rossi, and Morgan got into the black helicopter with the young pilot, and took off to safety.

Xx

Hotch sat down with Prentiss and Seaver, rubbing small circles around Prentiss's back, and watching Seaver as she fought herself not to pick at the gash in her head out of boredom and anxiety. Before they knew it, a white and red helicopter drifted down to them, and a team of EMT's made their way over to them. Their eyes widened at the sight of Prentiss and Seaver, one of them seemingly amazed that any of the three of them were even alive.

"Ma'am, do you have any idea as to how this metal got lodged in your leg?" One of the EMT's, a woman who looked to be about 30 with light brown hair and green eyes, asked Prentiss as her eyes fixed on Prentiss's leg.

"Well I didn't put it there, now did I?"

Hotch was happy that Prentiss was being snappy, it showed that there was still some of her left. despite their current condition. A gurney was brought out and as Prentiss laid down on it another EMT guided Seaver into the chopper, Hotch following close behind.

Once inside the small cabin, Hotch allowed one EMT to take his vitals as he watched another begin to unwrap Prentiss's makeshift bandage, which Morgan had changed out the previous night.

What they found was not anything that they had expected.

The once red shading around the wound was now deep red, blue, and purple, with sickly pale patches spread all up her leg. The EMT looked at her,

"Ms., uh-"

"Prentiss, Agent, Prentiss" she corrected him

"Agent Prentiss, have you been feeling nauseous? Or dizzy? Feverish, maybe?" He asked her cautiously.

"All three, actually, since about six hours ago." Prentiss responded freely, not holding anything back.

"And ma'am, has the area around this wound been itchy or uncomfortable in any way besides pain?"

"Yes, it's been itchy and I've been having a burning sensation there for a few hours now."

The EMT's face went very pale, and he became silent. He removed the rest of the dressing, and began cleaning the wound with alcohol. Hotch knew it wasn't good, that serious infection was setting in, and that a matter of minutes would make a world of difference for Prentiss. At this point, she was bound to lose her lower leg, but if any precious time was wasted, she would lose her life. To distract himself from thinking of his life without her, Hotch turned his attention to Seaver, who was wincing as the female EMT cleaned her wound, working hard to remove dried blood and dead skin on the outer edges of the large gash. Luckily, Seaver showed no signs of infection, just bruising and the deepness of the wound itself. Hotch was told his vitals were clear and that he would be fine, but that didn't matter. Two of his coworkers and friends had lost their lives, one of them was now in grave danger and the other was severely hurt, possibly suffering from a concussion and being in a great amount of pain but being in too much shock to say anything about it. He didn't care that he, Morgan, Rossi, and Blake were okay, he just wanted for JJ and Reid to be with them, alive and well, and for Seaver and Prentiss to pull through, for all their sakes. It was the one thing he wanted-no, needed, in order for his faith in their strength to be restored.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Good news, bad news...IT'S DONE! I hope you enjoy! ;)**

They finally arrived at the hospital after what felt like forever, and while Seaver and Prentiss were rushed to emergency care, Hotch was let go to reunite with Rossi, Morgan, and Blake in the ER waiting room. They learned that they were in Wyoming, still very far away from home, and that a search and rescue chopper had been sent to retrieve their personal belongings. Hotch glimpsed into the ER and saw two gurneys with black body bags being wheeled away, and he suddenly found himself regretting what we knew he had to do next; call Will for JJ and both of Reid's parents. He never thought the day would come that he had to inform members of his deceased team members' loved ones that the agent they loved had died, and yet here it was. He was shaken out of thought when a nurse from the ER check-in desk called to him,

"Sir? Agent Hotchner? There's a call for you from an Agent Garcia in Virginia? It's urgent?"

"Yes, of course, thank you." Hotch made his way over to the phone, gesturing for the team to follow.

He took the phone and the cradle to the far end of the desk and hit speaker phone, motioning for the rest of his team to crowd around.

"Garcia?" Hotch asked

"_Oh, Hotch! Thank God you're okay! I heard you guys crashed but there was no satellite signal and all none of your phones were working and…is everyone okay_?"

Garcia was frantic, and Hotch knew he was just about to break her heart,

"I have Blake, Rossi, and Morgan here with me, we're all just fine."

"Hey baby girl." Morgan said with as much life as he could manage, knowing Garcia needed to hear his voice,

"_Oh, sweetie, thank goodness you're okay! Hotch, what about Reid, Seaver, JJ, and Emily?_"

Hotch gulped, and looked at the other three around him,

"Seaver has a large cut in the side of her head, along with some deep bruising, and she's probably suffering a concussion, but she's in a very deep state of shock and she hasn't said a word in over twenty-four hours. Emily had a piece of metal get impaled through her calf muscle, and it isn't good; infection is setting in and I'm fairly certain I heard one of the ER doctors mention septicemia, which is blood poisoning."

"_Oh God_." Garcia's voice was shaky, and Hotch knew she was breaking down.

"Garcia, take a deep breath, and listen to me, Reid and JJ, they-"

"They didn't make it, Garcia." Rossi cut Hotch off, knowing he wouldn't be able to do it.

Hotch shot him a thankful glance as they listened for Garcia's response, but they only had silence.

"Garcia?" Blake asked, her voice cracking.

"_They…they what? JJ, she…and Reid, they…they didn't what? Th-they…you mean they…_" Garcia began to panic again.

"We found Reid shortly after the crash with a piece of metal through his chest, and JJ…she was crushed under one of the wing's of the plane. We tried to save her, baby girl, we really did, but it was too heavy, and one of her organs failed, and she lost too much blood, there was nothing we could do." Morgan stated the facts to Garcia, using all the power he had left to not break down, and yet he allowed his voice to crack and tears to make their way down his face, and when he looked up he saw the rest of them in tears, even Rossi.

The line went dead, the last sound they heard being the pained outcry of their friend.

Xx

An hour later, two doctors stepped into the waiting room and called out Seaver and Prentiss's names. Hotch and the others stood, and decided to split in half so each doctor could explain the situation of their patient as soon as possible. Naturally, Hotch wanted to see Emily, so he and Rossi went with the doctor that treated her, while Blake and Morgan went to Seaver.

Hotch and Rossi stepped into Prentiss's room, and they gasped when they saw that Prentiss was laying in a bed with her left leg elevated, the piece of metal now gone.

"Agents," The doctor began,

"We were able to safely remove the metal that was lodged in Agent Prentiss's leg, and we were able to get her temperature down and we gave her some painkillers to make her more comfortable."

"But?" Rossi pushed,

"Well, septicemia, or blood poisoning, has unfortunately settled in, and it's taken a very aggressive toll on her body…it's very advanced." The doctor sounded grave, which was an immediate red flag to the profilers.

"So, what you're saying is…she probably won't make it?" Hotch asked blatantly, preparing himself for the worst.

"No, I'm afraid not. She's very weak and sick, and most likely won't make it through the night. I'm very sorry, I'll leave you alone." With that, the doctor left the room, making sure the door was closed completely as he did.

"Hotch?" Rossi looked at him hesitantly.

Hotch suddenly leaned against the nearest wall and slid down into a sitting position, feeling nothing but pure defeat.

Xx

Blake and Morgan stepped into the small room to find Seaver sitting on a hospital bed, a nurse holding an ice pack to the side of her head. The doctor shut the door and turned to the agents,

"Well, it's mostly good news. We took an emergency CT scan and an MRI, and nothing showed up. She's suffering a fairly minor concussion, and she's been given two blood transfusions, as well as stitched that nasty cut up. She'll be dizzy and nauseous for a few weeks, and she should not be in the field for at least two months, but she'll make a full recovery soon enough." The doctor looked from Seaver to Morgan and Blake with a small smile on his face, and they returned it with thankful expressions.

"Thank you, doctor, that's good to hear." Blake said politely, shaking his hand as she did. Morgan did the same, and the doctor left as the nurse instructed Ashley to keep the ice to her head for a few more minutes, then followed the doctor out the door.

"Ashley, how are you feeling?" Blake asked her as they walked over to the bed.

"My head hurts like a bitch, I can't believe what I just witnessed over the past two days, I'm starving, I'm sad, and I want to go home so I can crawl into a corner and cry." Her voice broke and tears started to flow down her cheeks, and her lip quivered with overwhelming stress.

"Oh, I know, all of us feel the same way. We have to be strong for now, although we can all eat soon, I promise." Blake took Seaver into her embrace, and Morgan started to rub Seaver's back. He couldn't agree more with Seaver, and above all he wanted his friends back and for Prentiss to have the same prognosis as Seaver.

He was in for quite the surprise.

Xx

Four hours later, they all sat around Prentiss's bed, their heads hanging. Hotch held Prentiss's hand in his, and he kept his water-filled eyes on her. She had gone into septic shock about an hour ago, and at this point her heart rate was through the roof and she had slipped into unconsciousness. Hotch pressed a kiss to her temple, and the heart monitor sounded a single tone. Blake and Seaver looked up, their expressions filled with shock.

"No…" Morgan said out of disbelief. He'd lost too many people that he'd cared about, and JJ and Emily had been the last straw. He cared about them like his own sisters, and now they had slipped out of his hands forever. He stood up and angrily began tearing the room apart, leaving Rossi to try and calm him down, while Seaver and Blake broke down yet again.

Hotch did nothing but keep his gaze on Prentiss. He brought her close to him, holding her tightly,

"I love you, Emily." He whispered in her ear.

Just before they had all settled into the room to be with her, he had made the hardest phone call of his life to Will, Hotch knowing the sound of his friend crying out would haunt him forever. He didn't find it fair that three people he loved and cared about had to lose their lives in such horror-filled ways; it didn't even feel real. He wished it was all a dream, that he could go back and all would be well.

Aaron Hotchner woke with a start, his palms sweaty and his heart racing. He couldn't believe the images that had just flashed in his mind before him, but was relieved when he looked around the jet to see JJ and Emily on the couch, Seaver and Reid across from him, and Blake sitting right next to him, with her head leaning against the window of the jet. However, despite all this, _nothing_ could compare to the sound of Morgan's soft snore.

**Talk about a plot twist, right? Yup, it was all just an eventful nightmare! Relieved? Me too.**

**Haha glad y'all enjoyed this! Thanks for sticking with me :)**


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